Packs of bird's nest, a highly prized delicacy considered good for women's skin, are protected behind glass in a food stall on Des Voeux Road. When dissolved in water and after the twigs are removed, the bird's nests become gelatinous and are most often used in soups. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY

Dried fish maw (bladder), a common item in the dried-food stalls on Des Voeux Road. It's use for texture and flavor. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY

Richly colored air-cured sausages made from pork, duck and goose liver on display at a shop in the Sheung Wan district of Hong Kong. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY

Pressed and cured duck legs for sale in the Sheung Wan district of Hong Kong. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY

Lizards on a stick, used in tea, are for sale in the dried-foods market. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY

Live chickens are butchered on the spot and sold to customers from an open-air stall in the Wan Chai neighborhood. Hong Kongers prefer their food as fresh as possible, but fewer live chicken markets are allowed to operate now as a result of bird flu. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY

Fu Sing Restaurant in the Wan Chai neighborhood, popular with local businessmen and lunching ladies. It serves an upscale version of dim sum. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY

Pigeon slow-cooked in Shaoxing wine sauce, served with its head attached and garnished with pickled radishes and gizzards at Kin's Kitchen restaurant. 'We are the first restaurant in Hong Kong to use the sous-vide technique,' says the owner, Lau Chun. The sous-vide method cooks food sealed in as airtight plastic bag in a water bath for longer than normal to maintain juiciness, as was done with the pigeon. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY

A tub of mantis shrimp, a cross between prawns and lobsters, and a bag of live toads are for sale in the Fa Yuen Street market. Both are considered delicacies in Hong Kong. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY

Blackened century eggs, which have been buried in a clay mixture, preserved for several months and steamed, are for sale in the Fa Yuen Street market. Most non-Chinese consider them an acquired taste. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY

Sacks of dried seafood -- such as sea cucumbers, fish, shrimp, fish bladder -- as well as nuts are for sale in the Fa Yuen Street market. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY

Raw fish maw, or bladders, which are typically eaten dried, glisten in the Fa Yuen Street market. Maw doesn't have much flavor, but is used for texture, which is very important in Cantonese cuisine. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY

Artistic heaps of bok choy, choy sum, Chinese kale and other fresh vegetables adorn a stall in the Fa Yuen Street market. Chinese typically don't eat raw vegetables, which are considered too 'cool' for the body. Rather, they steam or stir-fry them or put them in soup. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY

Heaps of fresh colorful vegetables are displayed in the Fa Yuen Street market. Hong Kong produces only 2% of its food and local farms are being pushed out by developers. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY

Sacks filled with fish balls used in noodle soup are sold in the Fa Yuen Street market in Kowloon. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY

A tofu stall displays various raw and fried forms of the bean curd in the Fa Yuen Street market. Tofu is not considered a meat substitute here. Rather, it's an ingredient on it own, which can be deep-fried or take on the flavors of the sauce it's prepared in. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY

Live chickens in their cages await slaughter in the Fa Yuen Street market. Cantonese prefer their food as fresh as possible, but fewer live chicken markets are allowed to operate now as a result of bird flu. Chicken is eaten for special occasions. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY

A food court serves inexpensive meals to shoppers on the upper level of the Fa Yuen Street market in Kowloon. Traditional Hong Kong comfort food is served here, such as 'milk tea' made with evaporated milk, toast with peanut butter and condensed milk, and macaroni soup. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY

The humble Shu Kee soy skin shop is so popular that customers line up in a long line outside waiting their turn. The shop sometimes has to limit the amount each one can buy to have enough product left for others. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY

Old-fashioned noodle shop in the working-class neighborhood of Sham Shui Po in Kowloon, where you choose the ingredients and noodles for your soup. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY

Hong Kong-style fish ball shop, serving this popular street food. Deep-fried fish skin acts like croutons in a noodle broth. The ball is so dense it will bounce. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY

The sleek Lung King Heen restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong boasts a view of the harbor and Kowloon in the distance. Lung King Heen is the first Chinese restaurant in the world to be awarded three Michelin stars, thanks for Hong Kong-born chef Chan Yan Tak. Markus Gortz, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

Crispy scallops with fresh pear at the Lung King Heen restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong. Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

Delectable dishes at the Lung King Heen restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong. Lung King Heen is the first Chinese restaurant in the world to be awarded three Michelin stars in 2009. Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

Teresa Chan, co-owner of one of Hong Kong's leading organic farms,inside the lettuce greenhouse on her farm near the town of Fanling in the New Territories.Chan and her husband are spearheading an incipient movement to bring back local and sustainable food production, which has been largely abandoned in Hong Kong. Today, more than 90% of Hong Kong's food is imported. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY

Fish noodles with shredded vegetables and an oyster omelet at the Sun Hon Kee restaurant in the town of Fanling, which specializes in Hakka food, the cuisine of the rural villagers who live in the New Territories. The restaurant uses only locally grown vegetables and mostly locally caught fish. Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY